God's Healing and Other Reasons to Praise!

I am so thankful for the peace and joy that has kept my heart and mind at rest these last few weeks of waiting. On August 12th, I waited at the hospital for the nurse to call my name to go back to be prepared for a total mastectomy. David's sister, Beverly, from Colorado Springs had flown out to be with us. Three wonderful ladies from the Amherst Nazarene Church also joined us at the hospital. I was taken into surgery earlier than expected since my surgeon was ahead of schedule. After delivering me to the recovery room, Dr. Lindfield reported to David and the others who were waiting that the lymph node biopsy did not show any cancer cells! This was the best news we could have heard! I stayed the night in the hospital in a very comfy bed with an attentive nurse to make sure I was not in pain. David stayed with me in a very "un-comfy" bed that he made with 3 very straight chairs. L I was discharged the next morning and feel stronger every day! I will return to see the surgeon on Thursday to hear the results of the tumor pathology report and to possibly have my drain removed. As the pathology reports come in, we will be informed of the options regarding further treatment; please continue to pray for us as we make these decisions. We are so thankful for God's healing touch in my life and so very thankful for each of you who have held us up in prayer! 

"...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; 

he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights." 

Habakkuk 3:18-19

The weekend before surgery, our family was able to gather together at my parents' farm in Michigan. We drove with Joel and Bekah and the girls from Buffalo; Jeffrey drove down from Ionia; and Wesley flew in from Montana. You can see some pictures of our time together on an earlier blog if you click here.

We were so excited to hear news from home in Vanuatu! Skype makes it possible for us to see and hear our partners! Peter and Jenny reported to us that their friend, Pastor Knox from PNG, flew to Vanuatu with his wife and visited our churches in Port Vila. The pastor from Bundaberg, Australia, was also visiting during that time. The two pastors preached to a special gathering of all the Nazarene Churches with an incredible response from all those who had come together. Then, the two pastors met with all the church leaders for a day of discipleship and holiness teaching. Pastor Peter said that everyone was challenged by what they heard and was praying and seeking God.

Jeffrey graduated from his aviation technology program the same day I had my surgery. Today, he completed the written portion of the second Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) exam that focuses on the engine of the plane. He has already passed the first exam which focused on repair of the structure of the plane. Tomorrow morning he will complete the oral and practical exam. Then he will be looking for a job where he can get experience as an airplane mechanic. Praise the Lord for his faithfulness to Jeffrey in completing the program and these important exams!

Surgery Day

In just a few hours, Sylvia will be admitted to the hospital for surgery to remove the cancer in her right breast.  We thank you all for your prayers for her and for the surgery team who will be doing the operation.  David and Sylvia are experiencing God's peace in an extra-ordinary way, just as He promised in Philippians 4:6-7.  We are trusting our loving Heavenly Father as we continue this journey.  Please keep our partners, Revs. Peter and Jenny Isaac, and all our pastors and churches in Vanuatu in your prayers as well.

Here are some of the promises that have been an encouragement in these days leading up to surgery:

Psalm 23:1

The LORD is my Shepherd.  I have everything I need.

Deuteronomy 31:6 

Be strong and courageous.  Do not be afraid or terrified because of [this cancer], for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

Habakkuk 3:18-19 

...yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.  The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

Family Time on the Farm

Potter family with Sylvia's parents who hosted our gathering at their farm in Michigan.

Blueberry picking

 We thank the Lord for the days our family had together in Michigan.  David and Sylvia drove with Joel and Bekah and girls from Buffalo, NY - a 10 hour trip.  Jeffrey only lives an hour north in Grand Rapids, but because he is still finishing up his classes at SMAT, he had to drive back and forth to school each day.  He was able to be with us on the weekend and in the evenings.  Wesley flew over from Laurel, MT, where he has been helping to build a house with James Johnson this summer.  Jeffrey's friend, Kristin, came for the weekend.  And, our niece, Lydia, from Denver, CO, was also with us! 

This is a picture story of our time together!

Sylvia and Dora were very keen at finding the bluest berries!

A trip to the "swamp" to see the pond and have a stroll through the woods.

Wild black raspberries we ate in the swamp.

Feeding Grandpa Great's chickens.

Sylvia petting Kristin's hedgehog, Sasha.

Dora's favorite way to travel around the farm.

Jeffrey!

Grandpa Great taking us for a ride in the cart behind the tractor.

The weather was very nice for our visit with Sylvia's brother, Phillip, and family.

The golden rod is in bloom.

Wesley

Sylvia helping locate some squash.

Harvesting with Grandpa Great!

20,000 miles later

David and Sylvia with Napa Valley in the background.

From April to the end of June, we were privileged to speak 28 times in 27 different churches as we traveled across the United States from New York to Idaho, Kansas to California!  We met many "old" friends along the way and made heaps of new friends.  We were blessed with a place to sleep every night, wonderful food, and a faithful car that became our home!  We met face-to-face those of you who are our strong and faithful supporters.  More than any previous home assignment, we noticed that God opened the door for us to connect with many friends and family - some that we had not seen in the last 30 years!  You provided gracious Christian hospitality that warmed our hearts and renewed relationships.   Sometimes we were treated like royalty and sometimes we were just part of the fam.  It was all SO good!  Your faces and words of encouragement are fresh in our minds and hearts!  We praise God for his protection and blessing and provision!

"Thank you" is such a feeble way of expressing our deep appreciation.  We hope in your generosity that you have known the joy and satisfaction of being channels of blessing because that is what you have been to us - channels of our prodigal God's abundant love!

Enjoyed Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice in Delaware Park with Jeff.

We've enjoyed our weeks of vacation here in Buffalo.  The highlights have been a weekend and an evening of Shakespeare in the park with Jeffrey and an entire weekend of caring for our grandgirls while Joel and Bekah celebrated their 5th anniversary with a 3 day bike trip.

Sylvia picking a tiny flower in the park.

 In this last week of our vacation, we were beginning the task of packing our suitcases, distributing all the stuff we had accumulated to take back with us so that each suitcase was under 50 pounds.  On Tuesday, Sylvia had a breast biopsy done.  We thought it was a case of her doctor requesting the latest available means to make sure that the usual suspicious things seen on her mammogram were simply cysts.  On Thursday, the radiologist called to confirm that Sylvia has breast cancer.

Dora among the daisies.

Our departure from the US, scheduled for tomorrow, was postponed and we started a journey on a new path that we've never walked before.  Sylvia will be anointed for healing this Sunday morning .  There are lots and lots and lots of questions to be answered and decisions to be made! 



In the midst of all this, we have both been experiencing tremendous peace and are encouraged by Moses' words to the Israelites in Deut. 31:6, "Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give [this news] a second thought because GOD, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you” (The Message).  We appreciate your support in prayer for our family!

HA Chronicle #4 - Our First and Only District Tour for 2011

Usually we have about 3 or 4 district tours during our home assignments, but this time we only have one.  We were scheduled to speak on the Pittsburgh District for seven days (twice on Sundays and every night of the week), April 10-17.  We had spoken on this district several furloughs ago, so we were excited about returning.  Jean Brake has been the district NMI deputation coordinator for many years and she does a great job!  Jean and her husband, Frank, invited us to stay at their lovely home near Confluence for the first 3 days of the tour.  One of the days they took us around to see some of the interesting sites:

the place where the UA flight #93 crashed on September 11, 2001,

and Fort Necessity in Maryland constructed by George Washington before he was president.

We enjoyed all the people that we met and enjoyed some fabulous potluck dinners too.  One of the churches had their children present a special bell choir.  Sylvia thought this would be a great idea for the kids in Vanuatu!

We are always delighted to be able to spend some time with missionary friends as we are traveling.  We were pleased to stay in Dale and Pat Stotler's home who were missionaries in Lesotho.  We also enjoyed lunch with our PNG missionary colleague, Carolyn Myatt.

This was a wonderful beginning for the next 3 months of speaking across America! 

HA Chronicle #3 - The Long-Awaited Meeting

While Sylvia (Abu) was enjoying the conference, David continued driving toward Buffalo, with an ETA of Monday, April 4th.  She had some fears that Dora and Sylvia might be afraid of her since they had only known her via a computer screen.  The first morning after Abu's arrival in Buffalo, the girls met the 3 dimensional version somewhat cautiously.  The road-weary Grandpa arrived later in the afternoon.  It seemed from their quick acceptance of Grandpa that Dora and Sylvia liked him best, but with some patience on Abu's part, both girls have come to offer their love and attention equally to both of the adoring grandparents.  April 9th rolled around all to quickly and we bid farewell to drive to our first district tour in Pittsburgh District.  We are so blessed to have had these days to get acquainted!  It is very gratifying to hold these dear girls in our arms again,

reading stories,

taking walks,

and stacking blocks...

after months of aching to do all those things but needing to be content to only know them through Skype and Facebook.

HA Chronicle #2 - The WHWC Conference

Sylvia had been looking forward to this conference for at least 6 months.  The North Central Ohio District granted her a district preacher's license for the first time in 2009.  Our DS, Rev. Steve Ward, and others have encouraged her to pursue ordination, so she is completing the required pastoral training courses through Nazarene Bible College's online program.  The Wesleyan Holiness Women's Clergy  Conference would be an opportunity for her to meet with other women who are also following God's call to be a minister of the Gospel.  Her prayer partner Mary Beth, joined her for these days of challenge and encouragement.  She was able to attend several workshops by her professor from NNU days, Dr. Diane LeClerc, and received some very helpful advice about preaching.

Some of her favorite memories from the conference were: lovely tulips in front of the hotel on her arrival and the lovely "warm" spring weather; the beautifully enacted, historical vignettes of significant women in the history of the holiness movement; uniting of the various holiness denominations in worship and fellowship; and the sometimes unexpected, but very delightful meetings with old friends and new from all around the world.